Arsenal possess a rich and lengthy history boasting some of the Premier League’s finest talent, but when so many stars enter the illustrious Emirates, there are bound to be a few that slip through the net.
After all, who could forget that Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur’s all-time leading scorer and the man who just earned his former employers a cool £100m, was initially a product of the Hale End academy.
“He was a bit chubby and not very athletic,” former Gunners scout Liam Brady would once recall.
Given he has since scored 213 goals in the English top flight, whilst also breaking Wayne Rooney’s record for most England goals, it is fair to say that he got this one wrong.
The 30-year-old marks an outstanding example of how easy it is to write off players as youngsters, perhaps opting for proven senior starters with far less of a ceiling.
Whilst obviously on a far smaller scale, perhaps the same could be said for Chuba Akpom, who too struggled for opportunities in north London, but has since built an impressive career since departing.
How long did Akpom spend at Arsenal?
Having joined up with the academy in 2002, the 6-foot forward was seldom afforded any first-team opportunities under Arsene Wenger despite his stunning numbers within the youth squads.
After all, 33 goals in 50 games for the U21s marked a fine return, but in the end would only merit a meagre 12 senior appearances.
Such a lack of opportunity likely came due to the numerous loan moves the 27-year-old would endure, with his services touted out seemingly every season, never to return to the Emirates for a chance under the legendary Frenchman.
Frustration was understandable, with temporary spells at Brentford, Coventry City, Nottingham Forest, Hull City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Belgian outfit Sint-Truiden all building towards a permanent exit were he not to command a starting spot.
Admittedly, he would score a total of just 13 goals across all of those loans, and had done little to earn Wenger’s approval to start in the most challenging division in the world.
Where is Chuba Akpom now?
Greece would mark the next stop on his journey, enjoying a brief spell at PAOK in 2018 before a blistering return to England kickstarted a career that had promised much but was yet to deliver.
A fine tally of 34 goals in 82 appearances, including 28 in last year’s Championship campaign, helped push Middlesbrough towards the most unlikely of promotion charges, coming so close under Michael Carrick.
Akpom would speak about the former Manchester United midfielder in glowing terms, labelling him as the man who finally unlocked his potential: “He’s the manager I’ve been dreaming of my whole career. Honestly, he’s a pleasure to work with, I go out there and give 110% and I want to fight for the manager because he’s showed so much trust in me.”
Then, with one strike back in March, Sky Sports commentator Gary Weaver boldly dubbed him “the new goalscoring King of Teeside”.
Off the back of such form, European giants Ajax would come calling, where the marksman now plies his trade.
A true fairytale story that has seen a down-and-out dud realign his ambitions, such a rise could provoke a pang of regret from Arsenal, who allowed the clinical ace to leave without testing him at the elite level.
How much was Chuba Akpom worth at Arsenal?
Given the lack of opportunity afforded to Akpom, it was always unlikely that the rest of the footballing world would be aware of the potential lying within the pacey frontman.
As such, Transfermarkt would only value the Englishman at a tiny €1m (£869k), making his potential acquisition for another club a shrewd one.
With PAOK being the unlikely profiteers of this lack of interest, a return to England always felt likely given the numerous chances he had across all those aforementioned clubs.
How much did Ajax sign Chuba Akpom for?
When Akpom did depart north London, few would have predicted a career that led to him returning to the apex of European football elsewhere.
He seemed lost, and the Greek top flight hardly seemed the place to recapture what made him so special at academy level.
However, now a big-money acquisition of the Dutch side, they brought him in during the summer just gone for a sizable fee of £12.2m. The expectation seems to be that as he enters those prime years, the powerful striker can continue the growth that has led to such a rapid rise back to the top.
What is Chuba Akpom’s market value now?
To truly outline the growth enjoyed throughout that period since departing the Emirates, it is worth noting how Transfermarkt now values the Ajax ace.
After all, despite that aforementioned price tag, their latest valuation only sits at €12m (£10.4m), which is a figure certainly set to rise should such form continue in the Netherlands capital.
2023
€12m (£10.4m)
333% increase
2022
€2.8m (£2.4m)
11% decrease
2021
€3.2m (£2.7m)
35% increase
2020
€2.4m (£2m)
53% increase
2019
€1.5m (£1.3m)
N/A
However, when comparing that initial £868k with the fee Ajax paid to sign Akpom, since leaving Arsenal his value has actually soared by 1305%, as if the pain of seeing him score for fun at the Riverside was not tough enough.
Why is Chuba Akpom worth that much?
Whilst the wonderful story that led to Akpom’s recent move is enough to merit the price tag Middlesbrough set, the glowing testimony of his managers and former teammates helps to emphasise that notion.
After all, Carrick has been a vocal leader in earmarking the £27k-per-week star for praise, claiming in March: “It's not easy to score that many goals. He's scored all different type of goals for us since I've been here. I thought his performance was fantastic.
"He gets credit for his goals but his performance all round was terrific. And because we have threats in different areas, he ends up getting a bit more space. To score that many goals, hopefully he can carry on and set a new target for himself.”
Given how Boro have started the new term, with just one win in their opening eight league fixtures, it is clear the impact that the striker had, and just how big a vacancy his exit left.
Akpom will hope to find that scoring touch once again for an Ajax side in turmoil at the moment, with his lethal nature potentially the catalyst to bring the club together once more and reclaim their monopoly over Dutch football.
